Brick-machine



(No ModeL) A 5 Sheets-Shet 1. H. W. MEAD. BRIGKMAGHlNE.

www

vvvvvvv n Ii; l y A 0. m lain w 5 Sheets--Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

' H. W. MEAD.

BRICK MACHINE. l No. 471,677. Patented Mar.f29, 1892.

I ifa/A o il r s? iii! l f, 6x

h wi

I (No Model.) 5 Sheets'f-Sheet 3.

EL W. MEAD.

v13310K MAGHINB. No. 471,677I Patented Mar. 29, 1892.

(No Model.)

. 5`Sheets-Shet 4. H. W. MEAD.

BRICK MACHINE.

Patented Mar. 29, 1892.

` us Il im 66 H. W. MEAD. BRIGK MAGHNB.

5 sheets-sheen 5.

(No Modem Patented Mar, 29, 1892-.

IWL-471,677.

uit@ 4 g,

we noms UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY IIT; MEAD, OF QUINCY, ILLINOIS.

BRICK-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 471,677', dated March 29, 1892.

Application filed May 15, 1891. Serial No. 392,883. (No model.)

To all whom it may con/cern,.-

Be it known that I, HENRY W. MEAD, a citizen of theUnited States, residing at Quincy, in the county of Adams and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Brick-Machine, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to brick-machines; and it may be described as being an improvement on the machines of this class for which Letters Patent of the United States Nos. 386,333 and 406,754 have been issued to me on July 17, 1888, and on July 9, 1889, respectively.

My present invention has for itsobject to provide a machine which shall be vexceedingly simple, compact, durable, and efficient in operation; and with these ends in view the vinvention consists in the improved construction, arrangement, and combination of parts, which will be hereinafterfully described,and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings hereto annexed, Figure 1 isa perspective view of a brick-machine constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a side elevation. Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional View taken centrally through the plunger carrying the lower followers and. through the cam operating said plunger. Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view taken at one side of said plunger through one of the star-wheels. Fig. 6 is a detail side elevation. Fig. 7 is av detail transverse sectional view of the upper end of the plunger carrying the lower followers. Fig. 8 is a detail plan view of the mold. Fig. 9 is a vertical sectional view of the same. Fig. 10 is a detail perspective view of the main shaft having the'operating-cams. Fig. 11 is a detail perspective view of one of the star-wheels. Fig. 12 is a detail perspective view of one of the upper plungers. Fig. 13 is a detail view showing in elevation the shaft having the star-wheels and the shaft having the cams engaging the latter. Fig. 14 is a sectional detail view of the lower portion of one of the upper plungers.

Like numerals of reference indicate like parts in all the-figures.

The frame of my improved brick-machine comprises the base l, the side pieces or uprights 2 2, and the top or table 3. The latter is preferably composed of the front and rear pieces 4 and 5, the latter of which is provided with side flanges 6 and with front and.

rear flanges 7 and 8. The side flanges may be fitted closely between the side pieces or uprights 2 2, to which they are secured by means of bolts 9. The front piece 4 may be also provided vvith side fianges 10 and with front and rear flanges 11 and 12. The side flanges 10 are supported upon shoulders or flanges 1aN upon the inner sides of the side pieces or uprights, and the rear and front edges of the front and rear pieces 4 and 5, respectively, are provided with shoulders 2a to support the mold 3f, which is provided with flanges 4 to rest upon said shoulders. The mold, as will be seen, is thus held securely in position between the sections 4 and 5 of the table and may be additionally secured by means of wedges 5a, driven between the upper side edges of the mold-box and the under sides of wedge-shaped projections 6a upon the inner sides of the uprights 2 2. The front section 4 of the table is preferably provided with laterally-extending ears or lugs 7 a, having perforations to receive bolts, bymeans of which' it is secured to the uprights or side pieces of the frame.

The mold 3a, as shown in detail in Figs. 8 and 9 of the drawings, is composed of the side pieces 8a, having vertical grooves 9a in their inner faces to receive the vertical end flanges 10a of the end pieces 11a. The mold may be provided with one or more openings to adapt the machine to' the manufacture of one or more bricks at each operation. When, as in the drawings hereto annexed, the mold-box is provided with two such openings 12a, a central spacing-block 1b is interposed between the side pieces 8a. The several parts of the mold-box are connected by means of transverse bolts 2b, and the several parts of the said mold-box are also provided with openings lor channels 3b for the passage of steam, which may be supplied through a pipe 4b, connected with one side of the frame of the ma-l chine. This is for the obvious purpose of heating the mold. The perforations 5b, through which the connecting-bolts 2b extend, are made slightly oblong or elongated. This is for'the purpose of enabling the end blocks ICO - the frame.

11a to be slightly raised, so as to compensate for wear.

The side pieces or uprights 2 2 of the frame are connected a short distance above thebase by a cross-brace 14. Suitably attached to said cross-brace 14 and to the rear side of the front iiange 7 of the section 5 of the table are the guides 15 and 16 for the vertically-movable stem or plunger-head 17,. the front side of which is provided with a hood 18,in which is Journaled a roller 19a. The upperside of the hood 18 is provided with a block 19, having recesses 20 and vertical perforations 21 toreceive the screw-threaded stems 22, extending downwardly from the lower plungers 23, which may be secured in position upon the upper side of the block 19 by means of nuts 24, mounted upon the said stems within the re- A cesses 20. The plungers 23 are thus mounted upon the hood in such a manner as to fit accurately in the openings of the mold and so as to enable them to be readily removed, when desired,for the substitution of new ones. 25 designates the main shaft, which is provided with suitable bearings in the side pieces 2 of Said main shaft is provided with a cam 26, adapted to engage the roller 19 in the hood of the stem or plunger 17, which is in this manner operated. The cam 26, as will be clearly seen in Fig. 4 of the drawings, has the preliminary swell 27 and the main swell 28, so that in the operation of the machine the plungerhead shall rst be moved Slowly in an upward direction for a short distance for the purpose of giving the final pressure to the bricks, after which, by means of the swell 28, the plunger-head is forced more rapidly in an upward direction for the purpose of expellinghe bricks, all as will be hereinafter more fully described. The side pieces or uprights 2 2 of the frame are provided near their upper ends with vertical slots 29, forming bearings for the cross-head 30, having the depending arms 3l, one at each end, said arms being arranged outside of the side pieces of the frame. Guide-plates 6b, arranged adjacent to the sides of said slots, are secured by means of bolts 7b, extending through oblong slots or perforations in the said plates, which are thereby'rendered laterally adjustable to compensate for wear.

' The arms 3l are provided with openings 32 to admit the main shaft and to enable the said arms, with the cross-head, to move freely in an upwardanddownward direction. To the other sides of the arms 31, respectively above and below the slots or openings 32, are journaled rollers 33 and 33a, which are adapted to be engaged by cams 34, formed or mounted upon the main shaft. These cams, when engaging the roller 33, servefor the purpose of raising or lifting the cross-head after the.

bricks have been formed and are ready to be expelled from the press. Vthen engaging the lower rollers 33, the said cams serve to assist the downward movement of the arms and cross-head, although, as will be presently seen,

.of accommodating the main shaft 25 when the arms carrying the cross-head are in a raised position. The main shaft 25 is provided with cams 39, adapted to engage with arms 37 of the star-wheels for the purpose of forcingothe latter, the shaft 35, the arms 31, and the cross-head 30 in a downward direction to assist in finally compressing the bricks, the engagement of said cams 39 with the starwheels being timed to takeJ place at the same time when the swell 27 of the cam 26 engages the roller 19a in the hood of the plungerhead 17'.

It is obvious that the side pieces or uprights of the frame are to be provided with vertical slots or openings, as will be seen at 39a, for the passage of the shaft 25, carrying the star-wheels, and to enable the ends of said shaft to be journaled in the arms 3l.

The cross-head 30 is provided with vertical y perforations 40 to receive the screw-threaded stems 4l of the upper plungers 41a, which are secured by means of nuts 42. vSaid plungers of course are arranged so as to register with the openings of the mold, and it will be understood that they may be readily removed or readjusted whenever required.

The preferred .construction of the upper plunger of my improvedv brick-machine has been shown in detail in Figs'. 12 and 14 of the drawings. Said plungers are provided at their lower edges with flanges 40h, accurately fitting the openings of the mold and provided with tapering holes or openings 41", the lower ends of which are considerably contractedin order to prevent clay from escaping through the said openings, which latterare merely for the purpose of permitting the escape of air, thereby preventing the formation of air-bubbles in the bricks that are being pressed.

The arms 37 of one of the star-wheels are provided at their front ends with outwardlyextending studs or projections 43. Similar studs 44 project outwardly from the rear ends- 37 of the arms of the other star-wheel, as will By this mechanism the shaft car- TOOv IIO

direction by the action of the cams 34, en-

gaging the rollers 33 upon the arms 31. Cogs may be substituted for the studs 43 and 44 but I prefer the latter ordinarily, because but little strain comes on them, and the face of the star-wheel sections is by their use left smooth and circumferentially flat, whereby a better engaging surface is secured for contact with the cams. To retain the shaft 35 in the position to which it is carried by cams 39 engaging the arms of the star-wheels, dogs or pawls 47 are provided,which may be pivoted to the inner side pieces or uprights 2 of the frame, suitable springs 49 being preferably provided to hold the said pawls in contact with the adjacent star-wheels. The cams 39 will engage the upper or free ends of the pawls 47 to throw the latter out of engagement with the star-wheels While the latter are being partially rotated.

To regulate the extent of the downward movement of the stem or plunger-head carrying the lower pliingers, I provide anarm 50, hinged to the rear part of the base and extending forwardly under the said-stem, for which it is adapted to form a support.

51 designates a vertical rod, the upper end of which is journaled in a cross-bar 48 of the frame and the lower end of which is screwthreaded, as shown at 52, and engages a screwthreaded socket or perforation 52LL in the base. Upon the rod 5l above the screw-threaded portion is formed a (iange 53, supporting a stiff spring 54, upon which the front end of the arm 50 rests, said arm being provided with a perforation 55 for the passage of said rod. It will be seen that by rotating the screwthreaded rod 51, which latter is provided for the purpose with a hand-wheel 56, the front end of the arm 50 may be raised or lowered, thus regulating the extent to which the plunger-head and the lower plungers shall be permitted to descend. In this manner the capacity of the mold may be very accurately gaged or regulated, causing it to receive a greater or smaller quantity of material to be molded, as may be desired, according to the condition of the material and the required density of the product produced by the machine.

The main shaft 24 is provided at one end with a gear-wheel 57, upon the outer side of which is mounted a cam groovedv disk 58. Suitably mounted in the rear part of the frame is a transverse rock-shaft 59, havinga forwardly-extending arm or lever 60, which is provided at its frontend with a roller 61, traveling in the cam-groove 62 of the disk 58. The rock-shaft 59 is also provided with an upwardly-extending arm or lever 63, the upper end of which is connected by a link 64 with a feed-box 65. The latter slides upon the top of the table beneath a hopper 66, in which the prepared clay or other material is placed. Said feed-box serves not only to supply the material from thehopper 66 to the mold, but also to push the previously-formed bricks from ol the lower plungers onto the front part of the table, where they may be readily removed, the feed-box being actuated by the link 64, levers and 63, rockshaft 59, and cam-groove 62, engaging the roller 61, said cam-groove being so formed as to cause the operation of the feed-box to be properly timed-that is, while the lower pliingers are iii an elevated position tlush with the table.

The gear-wheel 57 upon the main shaft meshes with a spur wheel 67 upon one end of a shaft 68, which is journaled transversely in the rear part of the frame. The opposite end of the shaft 68 carries a gear-wheel 69, meshing with a pinion 70 upon a shaft-71. The latter also has the drums or band-wheels and 75, one loose and the other fixed, and

adapted' to receive motion from power of any desired description.

It is obvious that the train of gearing ,inst

described is used merely for the purpose of reducing speed and that different gearing may be employed without departing from my 1nvention. n i

The top of the table of the machine is provided with guideplates 76, preferably having. upwardly-extending ianges 77, between which the feed-box isl guided. Said guideplates are secured adjustably by means of screws 78, so that wear may be compensated for and the feed-box be caused to operate evenly and accurately. The front ends of the giiide-anges 77 are for convenience curved outwardly', as shown at 79.

The operation of my invention is as follows: While the upper and lower plungers are in a raised position the feed-box is moved IOO forwardly, carrying a portion of the clay from the hopper, the lower end of said hopper being meanwhile closed by the horizontal plate 82, which forms a part of the feed-box. While the feedbox is in a forward position the cam 26 abruptly passes from under 'the roller 19ad in the hood 18 of the stem or plungerhead 17, thus causing the lower plungers to descend somewhat rapidly by their own weight added to that of the stem and hood to which they are attached. The clay or other inaterial then drops by gravity and is also drawn into the openings of the mold by the suction induced by the withdrawal of the plungers.

IIO

The feed-box is then retracted, leveling up the mold, and the upper plungers now begin to descend, at first rapidly as the cams 34 pass from under the rollers 33 and afterward more slowly and forcibly by the action of the cams 39, engaging the arms 37 of the stai-- wheels. At this time the swell 27 of the cam 26 begins to engage the roller 19, forcing the lower plungers in an upward direction, and thus compressing the bricks or other product. As the'cams 39 ypass out of engagement with the arms 37 of the star-wheels the cams 34 begin to engage the rollers 33, thus forcing the arms 31, carrying the cross-head, and the upper plungers in an upward direction, the main shaft being accommodated, while this upward movement takesplace, in the recesses 38 of the star-wheels.

A lieved during the time that the product is unsustained by the molds. The feed-box now repeats its movement in a forward direction, pushing the bricks or other produce onto the front part of the table and supplying the mold again with material, after which the operation is repeated.

It is obvious that certain features of my invention are applicable to other machines than brick-machines. I therefore do not restrict my invention to them, and it is also obvious that many alterations or equivalent mechanical constructions may be substituted for someV of theparts shown and described by me. I therefore do not limit myself to such details.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by vLetters Patentl 1. In a molding'or like machine, the combination, with a reciprocating stem or plungerhead carrying a plunger, of a frame comprising a reciprocating cross-head carrying another plunger, depending arms, and a transverse shaft j ournaled in said arms, star-wheels mountedv on said shaft, and a main shaft carrying cams for operating the several plungers, said main shaft being extended through openings in the said arms and adapted to be accommodated, when said frame is moved, in the recesses of the star-wheels, substantially as set forth.

2. In a molding or like machine, the combination of a frame, a main shaft journaled in the sides of said frame and having operatingcams, and an upper-plunger frame having a transverse shaft provided with star-wheels the radial projections of which form cams adapted to be engaged by cams upon the main shaft and the recesses of which are adapted to accommodate said main shaft during the movement of the plunger-frame, substantially as set forth.

3. In a molding or like machine, the combination, with a reciprocating plunger-frame having a transverse shaft, of star wheels mounted upon said shaft and provided with nation of the upper-plunger frame, the main shaft having cams to force said frame in an upward direction, a shaft journaledl transversely between the side pieces of the upperplunger frame', sta-rwheels mounted upon said shaft, cams upon the main shaft, adapted to engage said star-wheels to force the upperplunger frame in a downward direction, and

y a pawl pivoted to the main frame and adapted to engage one of the star-Wheels, substantially as set forth.

` 5. In a molding or like machine, the combination of the. side pieces or uprights having wedge-shaped projections upon their inner sides, the front and rear sections of the bed or table having downwardly-extendin g iian ges and secured detachably between said uprights or side pieces, said table-sections being provided with shoulders at their upper inner edges, a mold having flanges resting upon said shoulders, and the-wedges driven between said uprights, the horizontal flanges, andl wedge-shaped projections forlned upon thev inner sides of the uprights, a front table-section having downwardly-extending anges resting upon the horizontal flanges of the uprights and provided with laterally-extending ears or lugs bolted to said uprights, the mold having flanges resting upon shoulders at the upper inner edges of thefront and rear tablesections, and the securing-wedges driven between the ends of said molds and the wedgeshaped projections upon the inner sides of the uprights, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aflixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HENRY W. MEAD.

Witnesses:

RICHARD SEATON, GEORGE THRUsH. 

